Left to Blame
by Mrs. Cedric Cullen
Summary: Emily Hummel was young, beautiful, patient, and the perfect wife and mother. If only things had been different... How I believe Kurt lost his mom when he was young. Warning: non-explict character death. Oneshot.


Emily Hummel sat on the couch next to her husband, Burt, their song currently braiding her lovely almond colored hair. Burt smiled fondly at Kurt, who was so intent on making his mother's hair look as perfect as his little six year old fingers could muster. The house phone rang out, and after one simple smile from Emily, her husband got up to answer the call, although his wife kept an eye on him from her position on the couch.

"All finished, momma!" Kurt exclaimed excitedly, his front tooth missing from his grin. Emily brought her hand up to touch the braid, smiling back.

"Oh, Kurt, you've done such a great job! You really must be an expert at braiding hair."

Kurt's answering smile fell a bit when his father re-entered the room, face grim and worried.

"Burt, dear, what is it?" Emily asked, her beautiful voice laced with concern.

"It was my mom... She's in the hospital, pretty sick... We don't know if she's going to-" Burt's words cut off with a shuddering sigh. However, it's unnecessary, as his wife is already quietly asking Kurt to go put on his shoes, before pecking Burt's cheek.

"We must go see her then. Everything will be alright."

The ride to the hospital seemed eerily quiet, save for the few minutes when Emily explained to her son why they were going to see his grandmother in the hospital. An hour later, the small family had arrived and hurried in to see Elizabeth Hummel at her bedside.

"Burt... Emily... Kurt..." At each of their names, the woman touched each of their hands, before coughing violently into her elbow. "I'm so glad you could come."

Almost afraid to hear the answer, Burt murmurs to his mother, "Do you know what you have, mom?"

The older woman shook her head. "Not yet. They ran a bunch of tests but the results won't be ready until tomorrow morning."

Emily nodded, before beginning to tell her mother-in-law all about how the family's recent events, in the way only she could. She made even simple mundane tasks such as Kurt helping Burt fix a flat tire sound like an epic masterpiece, enrapturing each member of the family. She used her hands to tell the story, and her face had the ability to mimic everything from Kurt's childish grin to Burt's grimace of annoyance.

The time flew by with Emily in the room, and before any of them knew it, the Hummels were all exhausted, Kurt half-asleep in his mother's arms. "I'll take him home, Burt. You can stay here."

Her husband shook his head worriedly. "No, it's really late, Em. You're really tired, I can take him."

However, donning her mom face, Emily won. "Honey, you need to stay with your mother. Kurt and I will be fine, alright?" At her husband's nod, she kisses his lips, murmuring to Kurt, "Say goodnight to Daddy, sweetheart."

"Goodnight, Daddy," Kurt says quietly, punctured halfway through by a wide yawn, before the small boy is carried to the car by his mom.

Emily Hummel was by far one of the most cautious drivers in all of Lima, Ohio, having never gotten a traffic ticket for any offense at any point in time.

But even the best drivers in the world can't stop a large truck that refuses to stop at an intersection.

Kurt, half asleep, watches out the opposite window in the backseat as the truck's headlights come speeding towards their car. He hears his mom scream, before the loudest smash he could imagine, and before he can register anything else, his side of the car is smashed against his tree and his arm _hurts._ Unable to do anything else, he cries.

"Momma! Momma!" he calls out, but she doesn't answer. Maybe he's not saying it loud enough? "MOMMA!" Still no answer. Why won't she answer?

He can hear the sirens approaching, and knows to not move his arm or it will just hurt again. With all of his strength, he screams as loud as he possible can, "MOMMY!"

She doesn't answer.

Kurt can feel the little cuts all over his body from the bent, sharp metal of the car, and can feel something wet running down his neck. He glances down to see the entire collar of his shirt's right side is /soaking/ in blood. Before he can even react to the sight, a man with a very soothing voice in a white uniform is helping him out of his car seat.

He cries harder when he catches one very quick glance at Emily... Her white cotton dress completely stained red, face coated bright red, pieces of glass sticking out, eyes closed as if she's asleep.

She has to be asleep.

Burt Hummel sped 90 the entire way to the crash sight, scooping Kurt into his arms when he sees him kneeling on the ground, sobbing. The small boy's cry from his jostled arm absolutely breaks his heart. A stretcher with a covered body goes by him.

It has to be from the other car.

"Where's my Emily?" he asks to anyone who will listen. The authorities give him pitying gazes, and the news slowly sinks into his body.

His Emily is gone.

Distraught, he sinks to the ground with Kurt still in his arms, clutching onto his baby, who sports a nasty cut along his neck.

He'll have that scar forever.

On closer examination, small patches of his entire shirt are now stained red.

And he is powerless to do anything more than weep.

"Momma..." Kurt whimpers into his chest. "Daddy, is momma...?"

"Yes," he sobs, just the one word. "Kurt, yes."

That night in the hospital, Burt holds his baby with the casted arm and gauzed torso. He holds him as they cry each other to sleep. He holds him the next morning on the taxi ride home. He holds him at home until they're forced to dress up in their nice tuxes.

And then, he holds Kurt's hand throughout the entire ceremony.

Twelve years later, Kurt holds the hand of a raven-haired boy. His other hand holds a single rose. Walking past stone after stone, they finally stop in front of one polished rock.

**Here lies Emily Hummel**

**Beloved mother and wife**

**1967-1999**

Kurt places the rose across the grave, before bowing his head, his tears falling silently, as his boyfriend, Blaine, silently wraps his arms around his waist.

**A/N: Well, this is sad. But that's how I perceive Kurt losing his mom. So... Yeah. Review, pretty please? I have gummy bears to share... **


End file.
